Additional indictments after additional burglary

MILTON — Two Farmington men previously indicted on a charge of burglary have now been indicted on a charge of another burglary incident, this time in Milton, with an alleged accomplice involved.

Timothy Balch, 23, of 4 Warren Street, Apt. 3, in Farmington, was indicted on charges of theft by unauthorized taking and burglary for an incident which occurred on Nov. 9, 2011 at 443 Middleton Road in Milton.

Court documents allege Balch was assisted by Matthew York, 25, of 23A High Street in Farmington, who was indicted most recently in October on charges of burglary, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts of falsifying physical evidence.

Bradford Gray, 29, of 216 Hickory Court in Farmington, with a previously known address of 23A Lincoln Street in Rochester, was indicted on charges of burglary for his alleged ties to the Nov. 9, 2011 incident in Milton.

Court documents indicate Balch, York and Gray stole firearms from an occupied structure at 443 Middleton Road in Milton. Milton Police Chief Mark McGowan said investigators in Farmington notified his department the suspects may have disposed of firearms in a safe in Oxbow Pond over the summer. Divers were called in from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, who in turn recovered at least three firearms and a firearms safe from the bottom of the pond. McGowan said he believes the suspects disposed of the weapons to hide their criminal activity.

Balch and York were previously arrested by the Farmington Police Department, along with York's wife Kelly Adams, for an alleged burglary at a home on Aiken Road in Farmington on Oct. 24, 2011. Police reported the two men stole various items including firearms and electronics as well as $1,500 worth of jewelry at that time, while Adams waited for the two in a car and drove them from the scene. Police later alleged the suspects attempted to dispose of some of the items, including by means of burying some of the valuables in a local wooded area.

Today, York now faces two more counts of falsifying physical evidence for destroying guitars allegedly stolen from a separate burglary incident, not marked by a date in court documents, and for disposing of the guns found in Oxbow Pond. York is also charged with a B-level felony for being in possession of firearms. Court documents read York was convicted of a separate crime that restricted him from having such weapons in June 2006 out of Coos County Superior Court.

Farmington Police Chief Kevin Willey confirmed much of this information was gleaned through interviews and a collaborative effort with Milton police.

Balch is currently being held on $5,000 cash bail while York has been released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail, which his attorney previously requested because he has a family with young children. Both Balch and York have entered “not guilty” pleas, had arraignments scheduled for Nov. 1 that were both canceled, and each await a preliminary pretrial conference scheduled for Nov. 30 out of Strafford County Superior Court.

A court clerk said Gray did not appear for his scheduled arraignment in superior court on Nov. 1 and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Gray will have no bail issued until a hearing can be set. He is described as a white male, 5'7”, weighing approximately 135 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

According to court documents, Gray has a criminal history, including a conviction for throwing a flashlight at a Farmington police officer in November 2011. Other charges on record include burglary, attempted simple assault and resisting arrest in Farmington.

Theft by unauthorized taking carries a maximum sentence of seven-and-a-half to 15 years in prison with a $4,000 fine. Burglary and felon charges carry a penalty of three-and-a-half to seven years in prison with a $4,000 fine.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt; rather, it means a grand jury found sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.